Argentina detains businessman at center of Mexican corruption scandal

Ahumada was detained at the request of Mexican authorities and a process to extradite him to Mexico will begin immediately.

The detained Argentine businessman Carlos Ahumada was filmed in 2004 giving bundles of money to Lopez Obrador’s main ally in the City Council, Rene Bejarano. (Photo: AP)

Mexico City: Argentine authorities and Interpol detained on Friday a businessman who was at the center of a Mexican corruption scandal in 2004 that hurt the reputation of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who at the time was Mexico City’s mayor and is now the nation’s president.

The detained Argentine businessman Carlos Ahumada was filmed in 2004 giving bundles of money to Lopez Obrador’s main ally in the City Council, Rene Bejarano.

Support for Lopez Obrador at the time was battered by the graft scandal.

Ahumada was detained at the request of Mexican authorities and a process to extradite him to Mexico will begin immediately, the Mexican attorney general’s office (FGR) said in a statement.

The FGR said it suspects Ahumada of committing tax fraud of around 1.47 million pesos (USD 74,910). In 2004, investigators wanted to question him over an alleged USD 3 million in missing public funds.

Lopez Obrador, who took office in December, has made fighting corruption a cornerstone of his administration.